Watch Peter Criss’ Final U.S. Performance Onstage

It’s a sad day for fans of the legendary rock band KISS, as founding drummer Peter Criss has confirmed his retirement from future touring after playing his scheduled final concert last Saturday. According to an interview with Billboard, the 71-year-old drummer said, “I want to leave the stage happy. I got onto the stage not thinking about making a buck. It was just pure: Play drums, have a good time, meet girls, travel and get out of Brooklyn.”

We previously reported on Criss’ alleged final live appearances. Those still happened, as last Saturday he performed at New York City’s Cutting Room, where he played a variety of KISS hits and cuts from his own solo work that he was not allowed to perform during his tenure in the band.

Onstage, he was joined by a variety of different musicians to play the classics from his discography. For “Beth,” he was joined by a trumpet section and a keyboardist, as he took to the mic to sing his heart out on the song one last time. In a very sweet moment, someone stood up to hand him a stack of roses, which he in turn handed out to the audience in front of him. At the end of the song, the crowd rose for a standing ovation, chanting “Peter! Peter!”

He showed he could still hit the sticks with the best of them, performing a cover of Louis Prima’s swing classic “Sing, Sing, Sing.” He also came out to sing his solo track “I Can’t Stop the Rain,” which admittedly he forgot some of the lyrics to, but he still did his best.

It’s been a long road for Criss, as the bad blood between him, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley never truly subsided. Arguments about their lineup during their 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction lead to the classic lineup of the band not performing at all, resulting in the group only accepting the award. Of their acceptance, Paul Stanley said, “To get onstage with Ace and Peter [during the induction speech] was an interesting, surreal moment but nothing I wanted to prolong.”

Time will tell what’s next for Criss and if the drummer will play more final shows outside of the U.S., but for now you can see video of his final performances of “Beth” (above) as well as “I Can’t Stop the Rain” and “Sing Sing Sing.” (below)

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